Electrical clock-winding mechanism



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

C. A. WARD.

v ELECTRICAL CLOCK WINDING MEGHANISM. N 29,396. Patented June 3, 1890.

(No Model.) 4 sheets-sheet 2.

0. A. WARD. I

ELECTRICAL CLOCK WINDING MECHANISM.

, 29.396. I PatentedJu ne s, 1890.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

O. A. WARD. ELECTRICAL CLOCK WINDING MEGHANI$M. No. 429,396. PatentedJune 3, 1890.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.) I

0. A. WARD. I I ELECTRICAL CLOCK WINDING MECHANISM.

No. 429,396. Patented June 3, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES ADELBERT VARD, OF VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRICAL CLOCK-WINDING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,396, dated J une 8,1890.

Application filed August 26, 1889. Serial No. 322,040. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES ADELBERT \VARD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at \Vaterbury, in the county of New l-la ven and Stateof Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Im1. rove1'nem's inElectrical Clock-\Vinding Mechanism; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inelectrical winding devices for clocks, and has for its object to providea simple and automatically-operating mechanism whereby the clock may bewound at predetermined intervalssay once in four, or twelve, ortwenty-four hours, according as the timing of the winding mechanism maybe arranged; and with these ends in view my invention consists in theconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter fully explained,and then recited in the claims hereunto annexed.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsmay fully understand its construction and operation, I will describe thesame in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichform a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is anelevation of a clock-movement having my device attached thereto, theparts being shown as in their fully-wound position; Fig. 2, a detailview lookingdownward upon the winding-gears and circuit-closer Fig. 3, adetail section at the line mm of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a detail edge viewshowing the circuit-controller rod and its position relative to the pinand gear; Fig. 5, a detail elevation of the circuit-controllerrod,pin-carrying gear, and circuit-closer, the same appearing as inposition to commence winding; Fig. (3, a diagrammatic view showing thecircuit-connections.

Like letters and numerals denote the same parts in all the figures ofthe drawings.

A is the frame of the clock, on which the going and striking trains aremounted in any ordinary manner.

My device consists of a winding-shaft 1, j ournaled in the frame andcarrying upon one end a band-wheel 2, preferably of considerable size,so that it may be turned by the motor at a comparatively slow rate. Theshaft 1 also has secured thereon a gear 3, which meshes upon the onehand with a gear et, secured on the mainspring-shaft 5 of the timetrain,and on the other hand with a gear 6, which through a clutch-pawlmechanism, presently to be described in detail, is connected to theshaft 7 of the striking-train, to which the striking-spring is attached.

8 are single-helix elect-r0 -magnets, each forming a terminal of acircuit A, which ineludes any suitable generator B and a motor C, whichlatter is bolted to the wheel 2 by a driving-band. These magnets arecontactterminals adapted to be joined by the armature to complete thecircuit, and instead of the magnets I can, with very satisfactoryresults, substitute a pair of copper springs or other suitableterminals, between which the circuit maybe completed by a contact-baroperated in the same manner as the armature herein shown and described.

10 is an armature, which, when engaged with the cores of the magnet, asseen at Fig.

2, serves to complete the circuit, and thereby admit of the driving ofthe motor by current derived from the generator. This armature issecured upon the upper end of a rod 11, which is pivoted at 12 and isbent outward, as at 13. (See Fig. i.) At its lower end it carries atransversely-extended loop 14, forming a way, upon which a small weight15 is supported by means of a roll 16. Projecting outward from the faceof the gear 4 is a pin 17 of such length as to engage either side of therod 11 above its outward bend, but to pass beneath it below said bend.

Then the clock is fully wound and the parts are in the position shown atFig. l, the circuit being open, the gear 4:, as the clock runs down,turns in the direction of the arrow i), Fig. l, slowly carrying with itthe gears 3 and 6, until said gear 4thas made a complete circuit and thepin has passed beneath the bent portion of the rod and has arrived atthe position in which it is shown at Fig. 5, when, engaging said rod, itmoves it upon its pivotal point until the armature is carried intocontact with the cores of the electro-magnet and the circuit of whichthe motor forms a part is completed. As the rod is carried along by thepin, the weight runs by gravity to the other end of its track, (see Fig.and thereby the center of gravity of the rod is so changed as to causethe armature to remain in contact with the cores and retain the circuitclosed during the winding of the clock. During this process the gear tis turned by the motor in the direction of the arrow (1 through theband-wheel, the shaft, and the gear 35 until the said gear a has made acomplete revolution and the pin has passed from the position shown atFig. 5 under the bentporlion of the rod and around until it strikes saidrod on the other side, as seen at Fig. 1. After it engages said rod itscontinued movement takes the armature out of contact with the cores, thecircuit is broken, and the 1110- tor stops. Of course during the timebetween the engagement of the pin with the rod and the rupture ofcontact between the armature and the cores the attraction of themagnetis opposed to the power exerted on the pin by the motor; but themotor will receive power from the circuit up to the time the contactbetween the armature and cores is broken, after which the motor willonly run as far as its momentum will carry it. At this time the weightat the bottom of the rod again traverses its track, and by the change ofthe cen ter of gravity retains the armature out of contact with thecores until the gear it, driven in the reverse direction by theunwindingspring, again turns the rod on its pivotal point and makescontact between the armature and the cores.

The clutch mechanism between the gear 0 and the shaft 7, heretoforereferred to, is for the purpose of allowing said gear to run free,driven from the gear -t through the central gear 3, during the unwindingof the spring of the time-train, but to cause itduring the windingprocess to engage the shaft of the striking-train and wind its spring.To this end the gear 6 has secured against its outer face a one-toothedratchet 18, and both the gear and ratchet are journaled about the shaft'7, upon the end of which is secured an arm 19, carrying aspring-actuated pawl 20, whose hooked end is adapted to engage the toothupon the ratchet. During the unwind ing of the strikil'lg-spring theshaft 7, carrying the arm and pawl slowly, turns in one direction, andthe gear (5 and ratchet are slowly turned upon the shaft by theunwinding of the time-train spring. hen the unwinding begins, however,the pawl 011 the arm is engaged by the ratchet, and thereby the shaft 6is revolved and the striking-spring wound. The identical construction ofthis clutch is unimportant, and any device which will engage the gear 6and shaft 7 during the wind ing process and leave them. disengagedduring the time consumed in unwinding maybe used without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. In an electric clock-winding device, the combination, withthe time-train, of a gear on the spring-shaft, a winding-gear meshingtherewith, a motor connected and adapted to operate the winding-gear,the pivoted circuitclosing rod and the terminals adapted to he closedthereby, and a pin on the gear of the spring-shaft adapted to engage andto move the circuit-closing rod both into and out of contact with theterminals, substantially as set forth.

The combination, with the motor and the means for connecting said motorwith the gear on the spring-shaft, of the pivoted circuit-closer, aprojection on the spring-shaft gear adapted to engage and move saidcircuitcloser both into and out of contact, and a sliding weightattached to the circuit-closer and adapted to change the center ofgravity thereof, substantially as setforth.

The combination, with the central winding-shaft and a motor-drivenband-wheel and gear thereon, of the gear upon the springshat't, a pinprojecting from said gear, a swinging circuit-closer hanging in front ofsaid gear and adapted to be engaged by the pin, and. a sliding weightarranged upon said closer and adapted to change the center of gravitythereof, substantially as set forth.

-t. In a device of the characterdescribed, the combination, with thecentral shaft, the motor for driving the same, and the gear secured onsaid shaft, of the strikingspring shaft, a gear thereon meshing with thegear on the winding-shaft, and a clutch mechanism interposed between thegear and the shaft, the gear on the time-spring shaft, a pivoted andpositively-actuated circuit-closer, and a pin upon the last-named gear,said pin adapted to engage and actuate said circuit-closer in bothdirections, substantially as set forth.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination, with thewinding devices, the circuit, and the motor, of a circuit-closer hungfrom its upper end, means for moving said circuit-closer, and a weightarranged to slide upon said circuit-closer, whereby the latter may beretained in or out of contact, substantially as set. forth.

0. The combination, in adevice of the characterdcscribed, with thetime-spring shaft, the gear on said shaft, the means whereby said gearis driven, and the pin projecting from the face thereof, of the swingingcircuitcloser extending across the face of the gear, said closer beingbent outwardly, so that the pin may engage it when at the top of itssweep and may pass beneath it when at the bottom of its sweep,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignatu re in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES ADELBERT \VAR/D.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. MANVILIJG, Wu. J. 'laivxnn.

